Morsi Offers to Form Interim Coalition Government

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi offers to form an interim coalition government.

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Rina Tzvi , 03/07/13 20:18

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi

AFP photo

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi on Wednesday offered to form an interim coalition government even as top aide says it appeared a military coup was under way, CNN reported.

"The presidency's vision includes the formation of a coalition government that would manage the upcoming parliamentary electoral process, and the formation of an independent committee for constitutional amendments to submit to the upcoming parliament," Morsi said in a Facebook post.

"The presidency blames for the most part a number of political parties that boycotted all calls for dialogue."

"To protect the blood of Egyptians, the presidency calls on all political and national forces to prioritize national interest above all other interests," it added.

Hundreds of thousands of supporters and protesters have been rallying throughout the country.

"One of the mistakes I cannot accept -- as the president of all Egyptians -- is to side with one party over another, or to present the scene from one side only. To be fair, we need to listen to the voice of people in all squares,” Morsi said, according to CNN.

It is not clear whether Morsi’s statement would suffice to prevent military intervention.

An aide to Morsi, Essam El Haddad, said in a Facebook posting that a coup was under way.

"For the sake of Egypt and for historical accuracy, let's call what is happening by its real name: military coup," said El Haddad, who works in the office of the assistant to the president on foreign relations.

"Today, only one thing matters. In this day and age, no military coup can succeed in the face of sizable popular force without considerable bloodshed. Who among you is ready to shoulder that blame?"

"In a democracy, there are simple consequences for the situation we see in Egypt: The president loses the next election or his party gets penalized in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Anything else is mob rule," he added, according to CNN.